Friday, May 3

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Cameron walks past a display of destroyed Russian military vehicles in Saint Michael's Square in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 2, 2024. (Thomas Peter / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Yermak: Ukraine strongly encouraging Chinese participation in upcoming global peace summit. “With respect to China, we are doing everything for China to be present there. China is very important, and consultations are continuously ongoing at various levels with the participation of our partners,” Yermak said.

Georgian PM refuses to visit US due to condition regarding 'foreign agents' law. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze will not travel to the U.S. because he was invited under the condition that Tbilisi suspend discussions on the controversial "foreign agents" law in parliament, the Georgian Foreign Ministry said on May 2.

NATO accuses Russia of conducting hybrid attacks inside alliance territory. NATO released a statement condemning Russian "hybrid actions" after multiple individuals were accused of working on behalf of Russia from within NATO territory.

US intelligence chief**: Russia's war against Ukraine 'unlikely to end anytime soon.’** Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine is unlikely to end anytime soon, Director of U.S. National Intelligence Avril Haines said on May 2, according to Reuters. Moscow is likely to continue its "increasingly aggressive tactics" against Ukraine, including attacks on energy infrastructure, according to Haines.

Gazprom reports nearly $6.9 billion in net losses in 2023. The state-owned Russian energy giant Gazprom reported a net loss of 629 billion rubles (nearly $6.9 billion) in 2023, the company's largest profit downturn in decades amidst falling gas prices and a limited European market.

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Hackers target Ukrainian bank with DDoS attack. Hackers targeted Ukraine's largest mobile-only bank, Monobank, with a powerful denial of service (DDoS) attack on May 2, the company's co-founder and CEO Oleh Horokhovskyi reported.

US says Russia used chemical weapons in Ukraine. The U.S. State Department said on May 1 that Russian forces have used the chemical agent chloropicrin in Ukraine. Chloropicrin is often used as an herbicide. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), exposure to its vapors can cause severe irritation to the skin, eyes, and, if inhaled, internal organs.

Kyiv authorities advise citizens against visiting churches during Easter celebrations**, citing potential safety concerns.** On May 5, Orthodox Easter in Ukraine, security measures will be intensified in Kyiv. Local authorities are urging residents to follow the service online rather than attending church due to security concerns.

Read our exclusives

Battle of Chasiv Yar begins under a drone-infested sky

With just five kilometers of open ground separating Chasiv Yar and Bakhmut, which Russia took in May last year after 10 months of heavy fighting, the city was always seen to be Moscow’s next target in the sector.

Photo: Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent

One night with Ukrainian drone hunters near Russia

Russia has launched almost 5,000 Iranian-developed loitering munitions since they were first shot down in Ukraine in mid-September 2022. The exact number of destroyed Shaheds remains unclear.

Photo: Alexander Khrebet / The Kyiv Independent

How Kharkiv endures new wave of brutal Russian attacks

Located just 30 kilometers from the Russian border, Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, has been under some of the heaviest and most frequent attacks since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

Photo: Serhii Korovayny/The Kyiv Independent

Ukraine war latest: Russia trying to break through front in 3 directions

Ukraine has faced a worsening situation on the battlefield in recent weeks that has been compounded by delays in Western assistance. Russian forces have recently intensified offensive operations in the east of Ukraine.

Photo: Kostya Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian attacks on villages in Kharkiv, Donetsk oblasts injure 2, kill 3. A 12-year-old child is among those killed, according to the governor. Two people were hospitalized for their injuries.

Authorities: Russian attack on Kharkiv Oblast town injures 7 children, elderly man. Russian troops attacked the town of Derhachi in Kharkiv Oblast on May 2, injuring at least eight people, including seven children, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

Russian attacks kill 8, injure 40 in Ukraine over past day. Officials reported civilian casualties in Odesa, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Donetsk oblasts.

General Staff: Russia has lost 470,870 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. This number includes 1,030 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

International response

US military battalion to remain in Lithuania indefinitely. The American military battalion stationed in Lithuania will remain in the country indefinitely, not just until 2025 as previously planned, Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas said on May 2.

EU-Ukraine to host Defense Industries Forum in Brussels. The forum will reportedly gather over 350 representatives from EU institutions, governments, European and Ukrainian defense industries, industry associations, and key partner countries to "strengthen defense industrial cooperation between the EU and Ukraine."

Switzerland peace summit to take place on June 15-16, Russia not invited 'at this stage.’ Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba justified the decision not to invite Russia in a comment for the Foreign Policy magazine, saying: "Our approach comes from reality, and from the experience that we (have) gained... Between 2014 and 2022, we had almost 200 rounds of talks with Russia in different formats, with mediators and bilaterally. But nothing worked. It ended up in the large-scale invasion (of 2022).”

Macron says he would consider sending troops to Ukraine in case of Russian breakthrough, Ukrainian request. In March, Macron called Russia's invasion of Ukraine "existential" for France and the rest of Europe. Later, Macron said he would not rule out the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine. Macron reiterated this sentiment in his interview with the Economist, saying that Europe's "basic condition" of security depends on its ability to avoid defining concrete red lines.

Sports Ministry recommends Ukrainian athletes keep distance from Russians at Olympics. The Sports Ministry and UOC said that members of Ukraine's delegation in Paris should refrain from direct contact with their Russian counterparts "both in the Olympic Village and outside of it,” and they should report potential provocations.

Duda: Polish EU presidency to focus on Ukraine's integration as one of key priorities. One of the main priorities of Poland's EU presidency next year will be the accession efforts of Ukraine, Moldova, and Western Balkan countries, Polish President Andrzej Duda said on May 1, RMF 24 reported.

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